The spiritual life

(Martin Jones) #1

164 The Spiritu&l Life.


it, and not by any of the lesser ties of per-


sonality that may bind us to him or may be


absentbetween him and us. Themeasureof


want-that is the measure of giving. The


agonythatcriesforhelp-thatistheclaimthat


wehavetoanswer. Andsoourteacherstrain


ustodischargethenearestdutysothatwemay


carryonthestrengthof that tothewiderduty,


andthus make ourlovetomanas the love of


husbandtowife,astheloveofbrothertosister,


finding in the pain but joy in the sacrifice,
becausethehappiness of the belovedisdeeper

thanthemomentarypainofthatwhichisgiven


tous.

Thus,thenwelearn,asitwere,thesanction,


themotive,thatwhichnaturetellsusasregards


thishuman brotherhood,andfromthatwestep


onward to deal with those who are not yet


quite touched with that light of reality which


makes the appeal to the divine m man the


mightiestof impulses.

For as man develops he answers to nobler


and nobler impulses, and at first, very often,


themethodof the teachermustbethemethod


of Nature,which allows mento learnbypain


the reality that I was speakingof with regard


to the law. And so by Karma we scent


another sanction forright ethics; so we teach

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